


Helping Hand

by meesha1971



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: A Very Desus Valentine's 2k18, First Kiss, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 20:36:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13689348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meesha1971/pseuds/meesha1971
Summary: After Rosita sees Jesus flirting with Daryl, the group worries about how Daryl might react to it.  Maggie is elected to find out what Daryl wants and decides to give him a helping hand.





	Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GabbyD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabbyD/gifts).



> This is for A Very Desus Valentine's 2k18. The prompt I chose was -
> 
> The fam seeing Paul get close to and flirt with Daryl, and thinking it won't work and wondering if they should say something either because they think Daryl is too shy/closeted or straight. Then they see that Daryl flirts back (likely in his own way), or maybe they're caught together.
> 
> 2/17/2018 - edited to correct some dialog mistakes.

Alexandria had taken hard hits during the war with the Saviors.  People had lost their homes and most of their belongings.  But they had won the war and were rebuilding.  The Kingdom and the Hilltop had pitched in to help with construction and gave whatever supplies they could spare.  The workers from the sanctuary, grateful to be freed from Negan’s tyranny, had pitched in as well.  Some of them would be living in Alexandria.  Others had chosen to make their homes at the Kingdom or the Hilltop.  The sanctuary had been cleared out with everything divided between the communities.  Teams were sent out to scavenge whatever materials, furniture, and supplies they hadn’t been able to salvage from the destruction. 

Rosita considered the progress they had made as she made the rounds to deliver water.  It was coming back together, she thought with some satisfaction.  She heard the thump of hammers, the rasp of saws, cursing and grunting as people lifted and carried material where they needed them. From inside one house, somebody laughed like a lunatic.  Up ahead, Rick and Scott studied makeshift blueprints spread over a table of plywood on sawhorses.  Maggie sat nearby, gently rubbing her rounded belly as she studied their inventory of materials.  She’d been annoyed when they refused to let her help with any of the construction but was still helping out wherever they would let her – on the condition that she took frequent breaks and didn’t lift anything.

She could almost see how everything would look when they were finished.  The new houses wouldn’t be as fancy as the ones they had managed to save, but they would be nice.  They’d been lucky to find a plumber living at the Kingdom and an electrician at the Hilltop.  They’d found more solar panels to replace the ones Negan had destroyed.  It wouldn’t be the same, but it would be good.

Taking a brief water break for herself, Rosita watched Daryl and Jesus hauling bundles of shingles on the roof they were working on, bare chests glistening with sweat.  The clouds that rolled in overnight had managed to lock the heat in, so just walking outside was like swimming fully dressed through a warm river.  A lot of the men had discarded their shirts and liberally applied sunscreen long before noon.   She figured it had to be even more miserably hot on the roof.  Rosita had already made several trips around Alexandria with her cart of water bottles.  Not the most interesting job to be had during the reconstruction, but it was her turn, and they didn’t want anyone to get dehydrated from working so hard in this heat.

She filled up a bag with bottles of water and climbed the ladder.  Jesus spotted her first, his face lighting up as she handed him two bottles.  A few tendrils of hair had escaped his top knot and stuck to the back of his neck.  She started to refill the insulated bag they had with more bottles of water but turned sharply when she heard Jesus call out to Daryl.

“You look hot.”

“What?”  Daryl looked up from the shingle he had been hammering into place with a confused expression.

“You look hot,” Jesus repeated, handing him one of the bottles.  “Hydrate.”

“Oh,” Daryl said, taking the bottle and guzzling half of it immediately.  He nodded at Rosita.  “Thanks.”

“No problem,” she said as she finished filling up the insulated bag.

Jesus shook his head at Daryl and grinned as he tossed the empty bottle over the side to the trash pile.  “I’ve got to be on you at all times.” 

“You guys got enough sunscreen?  You should probably put more on.  Sun’s more dangerous when it’s cloudy like this.  I have more in the cart if you need it.”

“We’re good,” Jesus said, patting a pocket on his tool belt.  “I’ve got three bottles here.”

“Three?”  Rosita stared at the tool belt.  “How’d you get three bottles in there?”

“I’m good at fitting things in tight spaces,” he replied, turning to Daryl with a wink.  “My tool belt is always loaded.”

“Wouldn’t know,” Daryl mumbled, tossing his second bottle of water down to the trash pile.

Rosita gave him a look as he pulled out the sunscreen and made her way back to the ladder.  As she climbed down, she heard Jesus call out to Daryl again.

“Come on, Daryl.  You can do me, then I’ll do you.”

She didn’t hear Daryl respond but could imagine his glare.  Unsure if she should be amused or concerned, she made her way over to the makeshift table where Rick and Maggie had been joined by Aaron and Tara.

“Water,” Maggie said, grabbing a bottle and guzzling.  She set the bottle down with a sigh.  “I’m going to have to pee again soon.”  She waved at Carol, walking towards them with her own cart filled with fruit and cookies.

Rosita frowned up at the roof where she could see Jesus rubbing sunscreen on Daryl’s back.  “I think Jesus is flirting with Daryl.”

“What?”  Rick asked, glancing up himself.  “They’re just putting on more sunscreen.”

“Not that,” Rosita said, shaking her head.  “I was just up there.  I think he was making innuendos.”

“Is Daryl upset?”  Maggie asked, concerned.

“What’s wrong with Daryl?”  Carol asked as she reached them.  She handed Maggie an apple and two cookies. 

“Rosita thinks Jesus was flirting with Daryl,” Maggie said, taking a large bite of the apple.  “Mmm.  Good.  I was just asking her if Daryl was upset about it.”

Rosita just shook her head.  “I don’t know.  He didn’t seem angry or anything.  He just ignored it.”

“Why would he be angry?”  Tara grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to Aaron.  “Jesus is a good-looking guy.  He’s smart, funny, and really nice.”

“You think Daryl is interested in Jesus?”  Maggie gazed up at the roof thoughtfully.

“They spend a lot of time together.  Why wouldn’t he be?”

“He’s not gay,” Rosita said, looking at Rick and then Carol.  “Is he?”

“He never said anything to me,” Rick said, frowning.  “I never gave it much thought.” Or any thought, he admitted to himself.

“I think,” Aaron began and then cleared his throat.  “Sorry, I shouldn’t presume.”

“It’s okay,” Tara said, nudging him with her shoulder.  “You’re family too.  Presume.”

“It’s just … he’s never said anything to me either.  Not directly.  But I don’t think he’s interested in women.  Several of the women that have joined us have tried, but he always tells them no.”

“He told me to cut it out,” Carol said, smiling at Rick’s puzzled look.  “At the prison.  I was just kidding around, but it obviously made him uncomfortable so I stopped.”

“Jesus is gay, and Daryl’s not telling him no or to cut it out,” Tara said, grinning.

“He’s not telling him yes either,” Rosita said, looking back up at the roof.  “He wasn’t saying anything.  How’d you know Jesus is gay?”

“He told me.”

“You think I should talk to him?” Rick would rather face a herd of walkers armed with a popsicle stick than have that conversation, but Daryl was his brother. 

“He wouldn’t talk to me,” Carol said, shrugging.  “Daryl never talks to me about anything personal like that.”

“I’ll do it,” Maggie said, amused at Rick’s expression.  “You two are so close, it might be embarrassing.  And I’ll be subtler than you would.”

“Maybe we should just let them figure it out on their own,” Tara suggested. 

“That’s why it has to be subtle,” Maggie said.  “I doubt Daryl would respond well if we tried to push them together.  And,” she added with a nod to the roof, “if Daryl’s not gay, and Jesus flirting like that bothers him, I might need to talk to him too.”

“Maggie’s right,” Carol said, looking up at the roof herself.  “Daryl wouldn’t volunteer anything and, if he’s not telling Jesus to stop, he might just need a little encouragement.  He thinks so little of himself,” she added softly.

“You’re definitely better at that than I’d be,” Rick said, relieved.  “But let me know if Daryl needs me.  He’s always been there for me so …”

“Of course,” Maggie said, smiling and laying her hand over Rick’s.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie waited until they were finished for the day and watched as Daryl and Jesus parted ways once they were down from the roof.  She smiled when she saw Daryl stare at Jesus as he walked away, his expression wistful.  Maybe this would be easier than she though.  Daryl certainly appeared to be interested. 

She followed Daryl to the basement of the brownstone they had set up for storage.  Doors, windows, sinks, boxes of flooring material, shingles, plywood, and various and sundry items they had salvaged or scavenged were stacked and stored wherever they found room. The main area held tools, sawhorses, shelving for supplies, stacks of lumber, old mason jars and coffee cans for screws, nails, bolts.  She watched Daryl drop the bundles of shingles they hadn’t needed and turn to her with a smile.

“Hey.  You should be sittin’ down.”  He dug out a folding chair and helped her into it.

“Thanks,” Maggie said, settling in and rubbing her hands over her stomach.  “I was going over the inventory today.  We’re going to need more shingles, lumber, nails … a whole lot of stuff.  I’ve got a list.  I was thinking maybe you and Jesus could take one of the big trucks and go on a run tomorrow.”

“Supposed to do the roof for Aaron’s house tomorrow,” Daryl said, leaning back against the wall.

“You don’t have enough shingles,” Maggie said easily.  She had actually checked the inventory and thought this was the best plan.  “Makes more sense for you and Jesus to get everything we need before starting on that, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Daryl said.  “Guess it does.  I’ll talk to him after dinner.”

“Good,” Maggie said, turning to look out of the little window.  She waited, thinking about what she wanted to say and how to say it.

“You okay?”

Maggie smiled.  She’d known he would ask.  “I’m fine.  It’s just … tomorrow’s Valentine’s day and it made me think of Glenn.”

“I’m sorry,” Daryl mumbled, kneeling next to her.  He put his arm around her when she leaned her head on his shoulder.  “How’d you know?”

“Bertie’s calendar.  I noticed it before we left yesterday.”

“Should’ve said somethin’ before.”

Maggie smiled.  She’d had a good cry with Tara already but had decided this was the best way to approach the subject with Daryl.  “I’m okay.  I just miss him.”

“Me too,” Daryl said quietly.  He knew Maggie didn’t blame him – never had – but it was hard not to blame himself.  That wasn’t what she needed right now so he just held her and waited for her to say whatever she needed to say.

“He would have loved this.  Everybody coming together like this to help.  And I would have gotten to watch him strip off his shirt and work up a sweat.”  Maggie laughed a little and took Daryl’s hand.  “I’ve got good memories to hold on to though.  What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Come on,” Maggie said, pulling back a little to look up at him.  “Hasn’t there been someone special?  Someone from before or anyone you like now?”

Daryl didn’t like to talk about stuff like this, but … it was Maggie.  He couldn’t just brush her off.  Especially now when she was sad and missing Glenn so much.  He didn’t think this was the best way to cheer her up, but maybe she’d move on to something else if he just gave her the answer.  He shrugged and just said, “No.”

“Never?”  Maggie shifted so she could look Daryl in the eye.  “I can’t believe that.”

“Weren’t nobody but Merle before.”  Daryl sat on the floor and rested his arms on his knees.  He rubbed at his fingers nervously.  “Nobody special.  Couldn’t be.  Maybe a hook up sometimes when the old man or Merle wouldn’t know about it.  It was just the way things were.  The way it had to be.”

“And now?”  Maggie hadn’t expected this.  She’d thought Daryl might be reluctant because he’d lost someone he loved.  Or maybe he was just shy.  She’d never considered the possibility that he’d never had anyone to love. 

“There ain’t nobody,” Daryl said, shrugging again.  At Maggie’s incredulous look, he sighed and stared at his feet.  Best to get it all out and then maybe she’d let it go.  “Rick had Lori and now he’s got Michonne.  Glenn had you.  Shane was an asshole.  Aaron had Eric … and it’s too soon for him.  We’re just friends anyway.”  He fiddled with a hole in the knee of his pants.  “Straight or taken.  There ain’t nobody.”

Daryl kept staring at his feet, waiting for the shock.  He was surprised when Maggie leaned in and brushed a kiss over the top of his head. 

“You spend a lot of time with Jesus,” she said, smiling.

Daryl snorted a laugh.  “Yeah, right.  Little prick figured it out somehow.  He’s always messin’ with me.  Thinks it’s funny.”

“Why do you think that?”

“He ain't … it’s just …”  Daryl huffed out a breath and tried not to picture Jesus on the roof with him. Droplets of sweat or water running down his bare chest, his hair tied up in that knot on his head to expose his neck.  The way those long fingers had felt smoothing sunscreen over his back ….  That line of thought was not helping. 

“Daryl?”

“Why would he be interested in a guy like me?”  Daryl blurted it out and stared at his feet again. 

“Why wouldn’t he be?”  Maggie kept her tone gentle.  “You’re a good man, Daryl.  You are,” she said when he just shook his head.  “You’re kind, loyal, and you’ve got a good heart.  And the muscles don’t hurt,” she added with a grin.  “He’d be lucky to have you.”

“He probably ain't even gay,” Daryl mumbled, blushing.

“Well, it’s time you found out,” Maggie said.  “Look, you need to resolve it either way.  If his teasing isn’t serious, he needs to know it bothers you.  And if he’s not just teasing, you need to know the truth.”

Daryl decided that he’d rather run bare assed through a herd of walkers with a bell around his neck than have that conversation.  Little shit would probably laugh his ass off.  But he knew better than to say that to Maggie.  “I’ll think about it,” he said.

“Good.  Now help me up.  I’ve got to go to the bathroom again.  This little one thinks it’s fun to sit on my bladder.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daryl pulled up to the home improvement warehouse and scanned the area for walkers.  He saw a few in the distance that wouldn’t be a problem, but there could be more inside.  It would be best to make some noise, try to draw them out.  Just in case.

“Pull around,” Jesus said, pointing.  “I prefer going in the back door.”

Daryl’s fingers tightened on the wheel, but he ignored Jesus’s grin and drove around to the back.  As he passed the garden center, he thought they should be able to find everything they needed here.  Lumber yard, garden center, hardware, tools, paint …  Everything on Maggie’s list – and then some.  Hell, they even had some furniture and appliances in this place. 

“See?”  Jesus pointed again.  “We can pull the truck right up to one of the bays so it will be easier to load up.”

Daryl had to admit that Jesus had a point.  Plus, getting the bay door open made a lot of noise that should draw any walkers that were inside.  At least the ones close by.  The store was huge, and there were a lot of places walkers could be lurking, he thought as he eyed the stacks of lumber and other building materials.  He turned back to the truck.

“You comin’?”

“Not at the moment, unfortunately.”  Jesus gave Daryl another grin and winked.  “But I’ll come with you anytime.”

Daryl turned back to the store, hoping Jesus wouldn’t notice how his face had heated up.  “Stay alert,” he said, gruffly.  “We don’t know if that noise carried through the whole buildin’ or not.”

“Probably not.  It’s a big store.  We should start back here.  Get the big stuff loaded first.  The smaller boxes will be easier to fit in after.”

Daryl shrugged, and they each grabbed one of the flatbed carts.  They made their way around the lumber yard, eyes peeled for walkers as much as the supplies they needed.  Then they moved inside the store to load up the hardware, tools, and other building supplies.  They finished Maggie’s list and were debating whether they could fit more into the truck when a loud crash sounded from inside the store.

“Shit,” Daryl said, pulling out his crossbow as Jesus readied his knives.  “Knew there had to be some in there.”

He stepped back inside and saw about 20 or so walkers coming from the appliance department.  More were shuffling towards him from the front of the store.  “Fuck.”

“Not now,” Jesus said from behind him, grabbing his arm and tugging him back to the bay doors.  “The noise drew more outside.  There’s too many.  We got everything on the list so we should just leave.”

Daryl didn’t argue.  When they got back to the loading platform, he saw walkers pouring out of the garden center.  The cab of the truck was already surrounded.  “We gotta find a place to hide.”  He scanned the area, but the loading bay was too exposed.  No doors they could get to in time.

“In the truck,” Jesus said, pulling him inside. 

There wasn’t much room, and Jesus was just barely able to pull the door down and latch it before the walkers reached them.  In the dark, they felt their way around to shift boxes as quietly as they could and carefully emptied a small space in the center of the truck, trying not to knock anything over.  If they didn’t make any noise, hopefully the walkers would just wander off. They could hear walkers scratching and pawing at the door.  If the door didn’t hold, the boxes and lumber surrounding them might slow the walkers down enough to give them a fighting chance at least.

"Damn, that was close," Jesus said, keeping his voice low.  Their chests were plastered together, and his face was so close, Daryl could feel the warmth of Jesus's breath against his neck.

Daryl shuddered, wishing he could back up and give them both a little space.  They were wedged tight into the gap they had created but, unfortunately, there was no way to make it bigger.  They had moved everything they could without making any noise.  He could feel the hard line of the stack of lumber at his back and knew Jesus was leaning against sheets of plywood and drywall.  There were a few inches clear at their sides, but not enough to create any significant space between them.

The tiny space had their chests, hips, and thighs pressed up against each other.  The forced contact set Daryl's skin on fire even through their layers of clothes.  Daryl leaned back against the lumber to put any inch of space between them possible and focused on keeping his breathing slow and even, trying to ignore the feeling of Jesus’s body pressed against his and slow the pounding of his heart.

It didn’t help.  The intoxicating, earthy scent of Jesus mixing with the scent of apples from his shampoo and the whisper of his unsteady breaths brushing over his skin seeped into Daryl's senses, clouding his mind. Jesus was so solid against him, so real, and every cell in Daryl’s body screamed at him to bury his nose in Jesus's hair, to press even closer, to seal their lips together in a hungry kiss. He wanted Jesus with a desperation that had had his hands itching with the urge to touch.

Daryl suppressed a growl and, shoving his hands in his pockets, mentally cursed Maggie for putting these thoughts in his head.  He’d been able to ignore it before and push those thoughts away.  He could hear her words all over again, just as clear as they’d been last night when they were sitting together in the storage room.  She’d made him wonder when he’d been so sure.  Part of him wanted desperately to believe her, but he couldn’t erase his doubts.  Regardless of the loony nickname, Daryl just couldn’t believe that a man that talented, good, and beautiful would ever be interested in someone like him. 

He shifted as far to the right as he could, hoping to reduce the friction causing his traitorous dick to perk right up with growing interest in the situation.  He tried to will it away with thoughts of the nastiest walkers he had come across and even gruesome deaths he had witnessed, but nothing worked.  Jesus’s scent surrounded him, and he couldn’t ignore the heat from the contact of their bodies no matter how hard he tried.  He could only pray that the few inches he’d been able to move would prevent Jesus from noticing.

"Daryl?" Jesus asked softly, his breath fluttering against Daryl’s ear.  “Are you okay?”  He ran his hand over Daryl’s shoulder and down his arm.

Daryl bit back a frustrated scream.  “Yeah,” he said brusquely, trying to keep his voice low.  “It’s just hot in here.  Maybe we could move more boxes.  Give us more room.”

“I don’t think we should,” Jesus whispered.  “If we stack them too high, something could fall.  All that hardware would make a lot of noise.”

As much as he hated it, Daryl knew Jesus was right.  “Ain’t there a vent up there?  Maybe we could climb out that way.”

“We’d need a screwdriver to open it.  We’d never find one in the dark – not without making some noise.  As much as I love a good screw, it’s not worth the risk.” 

Even in the dark and having to keep their voices low, Daryl could hear the grin in Jesus’s voice. “You’re such a pain in the ass,” Daryl grumbled without thinking, and then winced when he realized what he’d said.

“That’s what lube is for.”

Daryl laid his head back against the lumber and sighed.  He’d walked right into that one.  “You dick.”

“You are what you eat,” Jesus retorted, still grinning.  Who knew how long they’d be trapped in here?  Might as well have some fun with it.  His grin fell when Daryl just deflated and hung his head.

“Don’t,” Daryl mumbled.  He couldn’t handle the teasing when there was no way for him to walk away or distract himself.  “Just don’t.  You wanna make fun of me when we’re back home, fine.  Just … not now.”

“Make … what?”  Jesus grabbed Daryl’s wrist, confused.  “What do you mean?  Daryl?”

“I can’t deal with it right now, okay?”  Daryl’s throat burned _,_ and he started to tremble from the effort to control himself.  “We’re crammed in here like sardines and don’t got no way to know when those walkers’ll be gone.  Just help me find a way out of here.  You can make fun of me later.”  He turned his head away and squeezed his eyes shut.  “Please.”

“I’m not …,” Jesus took a deep breath, keeping his grip on Daryl’s wrist when he tried to jerk away.  He had no idea where this had come from and wasn’t sure what he should do.  “Daryl, stop.  Please.  I’m not making fun of you.  Why would you think that?”

Daryl gave up trying to pull his arm away.  There just wasn’t enough room.  “Don’t know how you figured it out, but I get it, man.  I do,” he added with a sigh.  “I’m gay.  Big joke on me.  Ha ha.”

“So am I,” Jesus said, still confused.  “Why would I make fun of that?”

“Right,” Daryl said, snorting.  “Sure.  You’re gay and decided to give the dumb, ugly redneck a spin.  You expect me to believe that?”

“No,” Jesus said carefully, sliding his hand down to lace his fingers with Daryl’s.  “I expect you to believe that I’m gay, and I decided to try flirting with a fascinating and incredibly sexy man that I hoped would also be gay and, maybe someday, flirt back.  Or more.”

Daryl just shook his head, shoulders hunched, misery pumping off of him in waves.  “I ain't …”

“You are,” Jesus said firmly.  “To me, you are.”  Taking a chance, he brought Daryl’s hand up and brushed a kiss across his knuckles.  “You’re not dumb.  You’re a strong, smart survivor.  Hunting, tracking – you can tell the difference between people and walkers by sound.  You taught me how to use wild leeks as a mosquito repellent.  You’re brave and loyal.  I’ve seen you with your family and how much you love each other.”  He brushed another kiss over those rough knuckles.  “You’re good with kids, and Judith adores you.”

He felt Daryl’s fingers tighten around his and took that as a good sign. Brushing another kiss across Daryl’s knuckles, he continued, “And you’re not ugly.  Have you looked at yourself in a mirror?”  He ran his free hand over Daryl’s shoulder and down his arm.  “You’re fucking sexy as hell.  First time I saw you, I wanted to bend you over that vending machine and … well.  It’s probably not a good idea to go into detail right now.”  He inched over and took Daryl’s face in his hands, gently pulling up.  “Daryl, look at me.  Please.”

Daryl’s eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, so he could just barely make out Jesus's features and the intensity of his stare.  Then he felt the undeniable hardness pressed up against his upper thigh _,_ and his eyes widened.  Jesus’s hot breath ghosted across his neck in a nervous chuckle, and Daryl shivered.

“Sorry,” Jesus said, licking his lips, hoping that the wide-eyed shock and the way Daryl’s whole body had stiffened wasn’t leading to rejection.  “I can’t help it.  Do you know why I volunteered to do roofing?”

Daryl shook his head.  He didn’t trust his voice yet.  He tried to slow down his breathing, the rapid drumming of his heart, but he couldn’t focus.  He was caught in those eyes _,_ and his entire world had narrowed to the sound of Jesus’s words.

“Because I knew you had,” Jesus admitted, smiling.  “Because I know it’s hot, sweaty work so there was a chance that shirt would come off.”  He ran his hands over Daryl’s shoulders again.  “Because I knew that would give me an excuse to get my hands on you, even if it was just a couple of minutes to put sunscreen on your back.”

The mention of his back broke the spell.  Daryl turned his head away again. “My back’s …”

“A testament to your courage,” Jesus interrupted, gently pulling Daryl’s gaze back to him.  “Your endurance and strength.  You suffered something horrible, but you persevered.  You didn’t let it break you.  You’re a good man, Daryl, and every part of you is beautiful to me.”

Daryl’s heart fluttered, and there was a slow steady beat that spread through him until he felt it even in the soles of his feet. He fought to steady his trembling hands as he lifted them to Jesus’s waist.  “I don’t …”  He cleared his throat and sighed.  “This is hard – don’t joke,” he added quickly, seeing Jesus grin.  “I ain't good at this.  Never thought I’d have a chance.  I didn’t even think you were gay.” 

Still grinning, Jesus glanced down towards his crotch.  “If that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.  I’m not cracking jokes,” he said.  “I’m just ridiculously happy to know you wanted a chance.”

“I did,” Daryl said, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Jesus’s.  “I do.  It scares me how much sometimes.”

Jesus lifted his head just enough to brush his lips against Daryl’s.  Just a feather-light touch, but it shot sparks down through Daryl’s toes.  He leaned in, wanting more.  Just a little more of those soft, warm lips.  When Jesus pulled back, Daryl nearly whimpered at the loss of contact.

“Okay?”  Jesus cupped Daryl’s face in his hands and gave him a searching look.

“Yeah,” Daryl said, shifting back to his left.  He wanted the contact now and reveled in the feeling of his dick pressed against Jesus’s hip.  He knew the moment that Jesus felt it – the way he stiffened and glanced down.  Daryl could feel his face heating up, but Jesus was still grinning when he met Daryl’s eyes. 

Daryl couldn’t help but grin back at him and, this time, he initiated the kiss.  He bit back a moan when Jesus’s tongue slipped into his mouth to slide against his.  He ran his fingers through Jesus’s hair, loving the silky feel of it in his hands.  They touched and groped as much as the limited space would allow.  They had to remember to be as quiet as possible, but Daryl was used to that.

Jesus chuckled as he pressed open mouth kisses along Daryl’s jaw, the sound muffled into his neck.  “It’s like being back in school,” he whispered.  “Can’t get caught.  Shh.”  He ground his pelvis against Daryl’s thigh.  “You’re taller than me.  Give me a boost.”

Daryl realized what Jesus wanted when he put his hands on Daryl’s shoulders and pushed himself up.  Daryl slid his hands around Jesus’s ass to lift him so their hips lined up.  Jesus braced his knees on the lumber, rolling his hips against Daryl’s, and he could feel his eyes rolling back in his head as their dicks rubbed against each other.

“Christ,” he moaned into Jesus’s neck.  “Paul … let me …”  But Jesus was kissing him again, and Daryl let himself get lost in the friction and heat as they thrust against each other and the dirty slide of their tongues. 

Daryl could feel his legs starting to cramp _,_ and he knew Jesus had to be uncomfortable with the lumber pressing into his knees _,_ but he couldn’t stop.  He could feel it building, and tearing his lips away, he latched onto Jesus’s shoulder to muffle the moans he couldn’t hold back anymore.  He felt Jesus do the same as their orgasms ripped through them. 

Daryl sagged, boneless, against the lumber as Jesus lowered his legs.  “Fuck,” he managed and sucked in air.

“Next time,” Jesus breathed out shakily.  Then he started to laugh, burying his face in Daryl’s shoulder to muffle the sound, and Daryl joined him.  “I can’t believe we just did that,” he whispered, still shaking. “I got carried away.”

“We,” Daryl said softly, running his fingers through Jesus’s hair again.  “We got carried away.”

“Yeah,” Jesus said, smiling.  “I guess we did.  Say it again,” he added, abruptly.

“We got carried away?”  Daryl was a bit confused.

“No,” Jesus responded, shaking his head.  “You said my name.”

Daryl felt himself starting to blush again.  “Don’t like calling you Jesus,” he mumbled.  “It’s kinda weird.”

“I liked it,” Jesus said, brushing his lips against Daryl’s softly.  “Say it again.”

“Paul,” Daryl said, kissing him back.  “We gotta get out of here.  My bed’s more comfortable.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They’re late,” Rick said, pacing in circles near the gate.  “Must’ve run into trouble.”

“They’ll be fine,” Maggie said.  “They both know how to take care of themselves.”

“Yeah,” Rosita said.  “They can.  But we set this up.  What if we were wrong?  If they’re fighting and distracted …”

“We weren’t wrong,” Maggie said firmly. 

“They probably had to clear out walkers or hole up for a bit,” Tara said, shrugging.  “They’ll be back.”

“I hear a truck,” Aaron said, peering through the gate and turning back with a wide smile.  “It’s them.  Tara, go tell … never mind,” he said as he spotted Carol walking towards them.

As Daryl pulled the truck through the gate, he saw his family waiting for them.  He recognized the expectant looks on their faces.  He’d already figured out that Maggie had set them up, hoping they would get together.  It looked like the rest of them had been told.  No, he thought, looking at all of them again.  They’d been in on it.  Well, they’d find out soon anyway since he intended for Jesus to share his bed.  As he got out and walked around the front of the truck, he took Jesus’s hand. 

“No secrets in my family,” he said, grinning when Jesus beamed a smile at him.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Rick said, his own smile widening as he watched Daryl pull Jesus into his arms and kiss him.

“Told ya,” Tara said, laughing. 

At the sound of his family’s cheering and catcalls, Daryl pulled back and smiled.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Paul.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this story! I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks to violetverdeau for beta reading this for me.


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